With a small number of SWALLOW-TAILED KITES appearing in the northeast this week it is very unfortunate that New York's was found deceased Thursday in Quogue.

The NORTHERN SHRIKE was spotted again last Saturday at Jones Beach West End near the swale in front of the West End 2 parking lot and also at West End during the week were two lingering SNOWY OWLS, some TREE SWALLOWS, and today two LAPLAND LONGSPURS in front of the Roosevelt Nature Center. That area also provided an ICELAND GULL at Jones Beach Field 10 last Saturday and four HARLEQUIN DUCKS continuing at the Point Lookout jetties on the west side of Jones Inlet.

On Staten Island last Saturday two briefly seen TUNDRA SWANS were followed by a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE on Arbutus Pond. This pond, mostly private, also hosted a variety of other waterfowl, indicative of the large movement taking place recently.

Also noted at numerous locations have been RED-NECKED GREBES, some coming into nice plumage. Though usually at open water sites, some have also visited and lingered on such bodies as Central Park Reservoir, Prospect Park Lake, Massapequa Preserve just above the train station and Argyle Lake in Babylon.

Despite the spring finally arriving, some SNOWY OWLS can still be found in wintering areas. And additional ICELAND GULLS included two still at Shinnecock Inlet Saturday and one on Central Park Reservoir Tuesday.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was still around Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn today. The RED-HEADED WOODPECKER wintering at Muttontown Preserve was seen again Sunday. Another has been wintering at a private residence in Hauppauge. More WOOD DUCKS and EASTERN PHOEBES have been moving into the area. AMERICAN WOODCOCKS have been displaying at appropriate sites this week. And arriving GREATER YELLOWLEGS have also been noted.

If you have not yet signed the petition to restore the West Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, please do so, it will help. The petition is on the internet at http://tinyurl.com/west-pond-petition. Thanks.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or days except Sunday call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.